Lack of support by some sites. No extensions. Some instability in late release candidate.

Bottom Line

The new version of Opera is faster, has better standards support and includes lots of unique browsing helpers, but some sites still don't play well on the Opera stage.

Opera is hoping to steal some of Firefox's thunder, with a launch timed to fall just before the open-source darling's version 3 unveiling. Like the new Firefox, Opera 9.5 (code-named Kestrel) has revamped its address bar, simplified its download dialog, improved content blocking, sped up performance, and tightened memory use. Its updated interface gives the browser a modern, 3D obsidian look. You'll also find some unique new features, like the ability to sync your bookmarks among PCs using its hosted service. Although I found a few sites that didn't fully support it, and occasionally ran into a stability issue, Opera's problems are minor. With built-in e-mail, chat, newsreader, and even BitTorrent clients, Opera is a one-stop Internet shop, and it's faster, safer, and more compatible than ever.

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Not to be outdone by the new standout feature in Firefox 3a rethought address bar (which Mozilla insiders call the Awesome Bar)Opera has introduced Quick Find. In the new Firefox address bar, when you start typing characters, a drop-down menu presents suggestions of sites you may be looking for, based on your browsing history and bookmarks. Quick Find takes this a step further, basing results on page content as well as history. The feature does a pretty good job of predicting the sites I want, but I still prefer the Firefox implementation, because it can take tagging into account and will even take you directly to the page you want. Say you type the phrase "New York Times": Mozilla's browser takes you directly to the paper's site. Opera, like other browsers, takes you to a search results page for your terms; there's no "gee-whiz" factor. And with Firefox, you've saved a mouse click.

One of Opera's major new features is Opera Link. This lets you sync your bookmarks, personal link toolbar, speed dial entries, and notes among machines via the Internet. Once you sign up for an Opera account and provide an e-mail address, you can access your links, Speed Dial entries, and so on not just from Opera browsers on other PCs, but also from Opera Mobile and Opera Mini mobile browsers. You can even get to your links from other browsers besides Opera. So, for example, if you log in to Opera Link in Internet Explorer, you'll have access to the bookmarks and even a Web-based Speed Dial page. Opera Link is unique among browsers and a terrific idea. Eventually, the company plans to extend Opera Link's capabilities so that you can transfer passwords and other settings to your other browsing hardware.

I should note that Opera is much more than just a browser. It integrates an e-mail client, an IRC chat client, a newsgroup reader, and an RSS reader (all of which basically have an RSS-readerstyle interface). You access these apps through the side panel, and when a new message arrives, a small window discreetly rises in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. And perhaps most noteworthy, Opera can act as a BitTorrent clienta feature no other browser offers. The search bar even has a BitTorrent search option.

Opera even has a social-networking element: Sign up for an account and you can add friends, send messages and updates, and see other Opera users' pictures and profiles. You can also blog, share photos, and log into discussion groups directly from within the browser. A lot of the community appears to be in Norway , where the company is based, but English is pretty common.

Despite its sophistication, Opera still lags behind in a few areas. For example, Firefox 3's managers for passwords and, especially, downloads give it an edge. Its password manager no longer pops up a dialog interrupting your browsing, and its download manager now includes pause, resume, and search. And Opera still has no one-click bookmarking like that of Internet Explorer with its +star and Firefox with its star. You can, however, add a star button from the menu by selecting View | Toolbars | Customize | Buttons, which gets you close. Nonetheless, bookmarking in Opera is still comparatively primitive, requiring you to open a new tab or window and not supporting drag-and-drop from within the Bookmark drop-down menu. You also can't tag pages with relevant terms as you can in Firefox 3.

In addition, I encountered some stability issues. The very late-release candidate I tested crashed a couple of times when going to certain sites, such as the new Yahoo! Mail. I also ran into some problems when choosing the Windows Native Theme instead of Opera Standard: Menus appeared black, and I ended up crashing.Next: Oldies but Goodies (with Some Improvements)

Opera 9.5

excellent

Bottom Line: The new version of Opera is faster, has better standards support and includes lots of unique browsing helpers, but some sites still don't play well on the Opera stage.

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About the Author

Michael Muchmore is PC Magazine's lead analyst for software and web applications. A native New Yorker, he has at various times headed up PC Magazine's coverage of Web development, enterprise software, and display technologies. Michael cowrote one of the first overviews of web services for a general audience. Before that he worked on PC Magazine's S... See Full Bio

Opera 9.5

Opera 9.5

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